Others like Billings, Hardison, and Glasgow made a play or two but didn't catch my eye as much. I'll cut a Billings a break for now since it was his first game in a year and 9 months. He was in on a 3rd and short but that was about it.

I'm still trying to figure out why the vast majority of Hardison's snaps seemed to come at LDE. He got good push but I don't think that's his forte - especially if they had him bulk up 20 lbs to become a legit DT.

I can sum my take on Billings up with one statement: gap integrity. As in, he had none. I thought he was fine at plugging but when it came time to rush the passer he took penetration in lieu of awareness and frequently got the team gashed as a result. Given the emphasis on that here, I expect it to change.

I mentioned during the game but my dark horse for this year's UDFA, Josh Tupou, really stood out to me on a couple of plays. He got a shot out from the announcers, but is low-center of gravity and leverage were impressive, as was his ability to use those things to take on two blockers at a time and stone them cold.

Re the tackling, yeah, it was a little off. And at least once I saw Burfict miss because he tackled with his shoulders and didn't wrap. It drives me crazy when anyone does that. It was shocking that Burfict did it.

Re the tackling, yeah, it was a little off. And at least once I saw Burfict miss because he tackled with his shoulders and didn't wrap. It drives me crazy when anyone does that. It was shocking that Burfict did it.

I expected it going in. They didn't do any live drills in camp. So outside of the scrimmage, none of these guys had tackled since January.

I haven't watched any replay, but at the game I thought Malone was getting wide open fairly often. Ball just wasn't going his way.

Bengals have so many weapons now the competition for the ball is going to be intense. But that said you've got to think someone is going to watch the film and notice how open he was. There's no reason to force the ball to anyone if the blocking can be trusted. And there's the rub because I really felt like Dalton and AJ were trying to get the ball out quick rather than scan and read the field.

Does anyone else believe that all 3 of Clarke, Hardison and Gilberry get waived with the final cuts? Unless some new injuries change the situation, I expect the Bengals to only keep 24 defensive players on the opening day 53 man roster.

Does anyone else believe that all 3 of Clarke, Hardison and Gilberry get waived with the final cuts? Unless some new injuries change the situation, I expect the Bengals to only keep 24 defensive players on the opening day 53 man roster.

I'll be watching the next game specifically to see how Lawson and Smith can set the edge. I've seen ample evidence already that Willis can do it well. IMO, if they can do that there's little reason to keep a Clarke. On the flip side, we do need a kind of hybrid DE/DT type, and the guys currently vying for that spot are Gilberry, Clarke, Ryan Brown, and evidenty Hardison the way they had him lining up.

Does anyone else believe that all 3 of Clarke, Hardison and Gilberry get waived with the final cuts? Unless some new injuries change the situation, I expect the Bengals to only keep 24 defensive players on the opening day 53 man roster.

I could see it, especially if Smith continues to show out. In the PS game, I actually thought Clarke set the edge well on several plays, but he didn't do much vs. the pass. MJ wasn't a factor and Gilberry was OK.

I know the team tends to like the vets so that's why I'm guessing that one of MJ or Gilberry will stay... even if it's not warranted, given their play. I guess the good thing is, they don't have to make interim cuts until the final 53 so they will get a long look at everyone.

[/FONT][FONT="]We were high on Ryan Glasgow coming out. Last night did nothing to change that
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I was really happy when they took Glasgow. He was overshadowed at UM by guys like Taco and Wormley but when you watched the DL, it was hard not to notice him. The other night, on one play he literally tossed the G aside and really closed quickly on Fitz.

He's not gonna win a lot of foot races to the edge but he's quick in a short area... and I think at some point he will be a valuable part of the DL rotation.

Does anyone else believe that all 3 of Clarke, Hardison and Gilberry get waived with the final cuts?

Sure. One thing that's almost certain is the Bengals won't consider nearly as much roster turnover as I'd like to see.

Tex is right....Clarke wasn't bad against Tampa Bay, and if that game is the only thing to consider Gilberry was okay as well. But both are so limited it's hard to get excited about them when this team now has numerous options that are not only younger but more impressive. Why continue waiting for Clarke to become something he'll never be when you can so easily and cheaply find a player like Brown?

Right now I can name 4 defensive lineman more deserving of a roster spot than MJ, a defacto starter whose continued future with the team is mostly based on a bloated contract and concerns about dead money. Crazier still, I think that list of better options is more likely to grow in the coming weeks than shrink.

As for Hardison, I loved him when he was drafted and I still want to see him get a chance, but I honestly don't know what he is anymore, and won't shed a tear if they won't wait any longer for him. There's too much competition now to settle for players simply based upon old plans.